Page 98 of Apex of the Curve

“You want to take the walk, or shall I?” I asked.

“I think you could use it, boss. You’ve been back here fretting for entirely too long. Get some fresh air, take some time to think.”

“You are wise beyond your years, Amber,” I said, leaning back in my chair with a dejected sigh.

“I know,” she said and smiled. I laughed slightly and shook my head.

“Find me a box with handles?” I asked.

“On it, boss.”

“Thanks,” I murmured, but she was already back near the greenware shelves in the storeroom, rooting through the discarded fruit boxes we tended to collect for those clients that preferred to take greenware home to work on and bring the pieces back to be fired.

While she found a suitable box, I found my jacket and scarf. I looped the infinity scarf in greens around my neck twice and hefted down the leather jacket Fenris had bought for me. It was way too much for me not to wear it, plus it did suit me, was warm, and I liked it.

I took the box from Amber and scooted out the back door, calling out to her I would be back before dark to let her get home. I took a deep breath of the crisp, damp, October air and set off to scout for suitable leaves. I tended to roll out some clay flat so I could press the leaves into the surface. I could make plenty of things using the method. Things like platters, serving plates, trinket trays, and spoon rests. Of course, I could do much more than just that with a bit of damp earth and a fallen leaf, but that was just the start.

A good start. Plus, it didn’t cost me anything but time and energy rather than the money I would otherwise spend for already molded pieces from a supplier. I didn’t have enough of a facility here to just buy the molds and mold things myself.

The walk did do me some good. The somewhat mindless task of gathering leaves that were still pliable enough to use for my purposes took my mind off my other troubles for a time. All too soon, dusk foiled my nice time, and I needed to make the walk back to my shop. I went in through the back door and called out to Amber that I was back and that she could clock out if she needed to.

“Thanks,” she said, coming back and using the computer to do so.

“No problem,” I said, hanging my jacket.

“Store is all yours,” she said. “Everything is set up for tonight.”

“Thank you, honey.”

“Sure, I’ll see you tomorrow.” She pulled down her own jacket and hefted her backpack and went out through the front of the shop.

I set to work making things for the hour and a half or so that I had before the private party arrived.

I was out front when the trio showed up at my door, smiling, laughing, and waving and I opened it to them bewildered. Suddenly, the name Marisol clicked when I saw her with Dahlia and Little Bird.

“What?” I cried. “What are you doing here?”

“We wanted to come hang,” Dahlia said, hugging me fiercely. Little Bird was next, and Marisol didn’t hesitate.

“I would have met you at the party, but my little brother got sick and I had to stay home and take care of him,” she said. I stood back and let them into my shop, turning the sign to ‘closed’ and locking the door, pulling the chain on the neon ‘open’ sign so that it would go dark.

“You didn’t have to book a private party for that!” I protested.

“Nonsense,” Dahlia said pointedly. “You have to make a living.”

“Oh, well, um…” I was disoriented for sure but not so much I couldn’t do my job, I’d like to think. I tugged on my apron and said, “Grab your aprons and I’ll take you on a full tour before we begin. We can choose which projects you want to paint and go from there.”

I gave them the tour starting out front with the neatly lined shelves of bisqueware and finishing in back with the more fragile greenware and the raw clay.

“What are you doing with these?” Marisol asked, picking up one of the leaves out of the box I’d carried them in.

“Oh, I’m making these.” I went over to the shelf where several platters and plates were drying.

“Oooooh, those are going to be so neat!”

“Can we make our own?” Dahlia asked.

“Sure, but they won’t be ready to paint until after I’ve fired them and that takes time.”

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